NCIPR Targets Completion of 2019-2022 IPR Enforcement Action Plan in High-level Meeting

Published on September 25, 2019

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) in its high-level meeting held September 25, 2019, Wednesday, buckled down to finalize and implement the soonest its 2019 - 2022 Action Plan which lays down Intellectual Property Enforcement strategies that will sustain intellectual property rights (IPR) nationwide, especially amid the rapid growth of the digital economy. 

Among the salient provisions provided in the draft mid-term plan are: 

(1) Improving the operational capability of NCIPR by regularly allocating funds and providing adequate personnel for its operations; 

(2) Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and other concerned government agencies for the issuance of government ICT policies that are attuned with the Intellectual Property Laws; 

(3) Ensure compliance with Memorandum Circular No. 115 dated 05 April 1999 which mandates the use of only licensed software and applications in government offices

(4) Strengthen institutional arrangements with the Bureau of Immigration, to penalize/deport aliens violating IPR; Bureau of Internal Revenue, for possible tax evasion cases; and Anti-Money Laundering Council for money laundering cases; 

(5) Engage the Department of Justice for the issuance of a Department Order instructing prosecutors to furnish the Anti-Money Laundering Council of all information filed with the court for possible money-laundering investigation and prosecution; 

(6) Work with the local government units and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to ensure that mayor’s permits/business permits will not be issued to erring store owners and that IPR violations will warrant cancellation of mayor’s permits/business permits;

(7) Strengthen IPR awareness campaigns and education drive through more activities and by tapping new technologies for information dissemination;

(8) Bolster IPR Enforcement capacities of authorities, judges prosecutors and other players relevant to the Enforcement environment, through more rigorous training which are benchmarked with international standards;

(9) Advocate for the passage of amendments to the IP Code of 1997, the Optical Media Act of 2003, and the E-Commerce Act of 2000

The NCIPR also aims to designate an Executive Director for IPR Enforcement who will administer and monitor the plans, activities and programs of NCIPR, ensuring that IPR related enforcement initiatives and programs of the different government agencies are integrated and well-coordinated.

The meeting, steered by DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, also tackled possible tactics to intensify its campaign against illegal camcording in the movie theaters.

In January to July this year, NCIPR seized P13.73 billion, close to 60% of the total value of fake goods seized in the entire 2018 which stood at P23.6 billion.  Accounting for the bulk of the validated inventory is the cigarettes and alcohol products segment, followed by pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

About NCIPR

NCIPR is an interagency body that formulates and implements plans and policies, as well as strengthens the protection and enforcement of IPR in the country.

The NCIPR is composed of 12 members, with the Department of Trade and Industry as chair and the IPOPHL as vice-chair.

The other members are namely the: Department of Justice; Bureau of Customs; FDA; NBI; Philippine National Police; Optical Media Board; National Book Development Board; Office of the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime; Department of the Interior and Local Government; and National Telecommunications Commission.